TOW Monica breaks her leg
by anongurl
Summary: CM. Chandler is unsure of his relationship when he bumps into Richard...
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Hey all. What's up? Happy New Year! Anyway, I was trying to put together a new idea for a story when I realized that both of my previous fanfics involve plane crashes, so I decided to write something less plane crashey.

A/N as of February 2006: Hey, so I've decided to rewrite this story. I wrote it years ago and read it the other day. There were a lot of mistakes and I felt the whole thing could be a bit better. How many friends fanfic fans are still out there?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Description: Monica and Chandler are together, but no one knows about them. Monica falls down the stairs and Chandler takes her to the hospital and they bump into someone…it's a bad summary. Please read anyway.

Monica looked up from the paper when she heard the door open. She smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, getting up to greet Chandler.

"Hey, Mon," he replied, pulling her in for a kiss. She pulled back and smiled at him, her arms around his neck, and his around her waist. Chandler yawned and smiled back. It was 9:00 AM on Saturday morning and Chandler had gotten up early to see Joey off at the airport. Joey was traveling to Florida to visit some relatives for a week and even though he was a grown man none of his friends had thought it was a good idea for him to go to the airport by himself. Chandler had gotten the short straw and went with Joey to make sure he got to his plane. How he was going to get home, none of them knew.

"Well," Chandler started. "Joey's gone for a whole week, so we have my apartment all to ourselves." He raised his eyebrow suggestively. Monica laughed and kissed him again. It would be nice to spend some extra time with her boyfriend. None of their friends knew about them, which put a strain on them spending time together.

It was Chandler who pulled back this time. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Monica whispered back. She smiled inwardly. They had been going out for eight months, and had said their first I love you's only a few short months before. Chandler was still building up his confidence for being in a close relationship, and everything was still new for him. Monica had no problem taking it slow for Chandler as, secretly; it startled her that she felt so deeply for this man. She had never felt anything like this before.

"So," she heard Chandler saying, "How would you like to go out for breakfast?"

"Sure. Where to?"

"How bout that new bagel place on 16th?"

"Sounds good," Monica said. "Let's go." She made a move towards the door.

"You want your jacket?" Chandler asked on his way out the door.

"No, I'm good."

The couple made their way down the hall and the five flights of stairs to the lobby. They automatically separated, Monica going down three steps in front of Chandler. It had become second nature to them to when ever they were out in public, especially places they might run into their friends.

As Chandler reached the third floor, Monica started down towards the second, not seeing the small, green tennis ball someone had dropped on the third step. She stepped on it, rolled her ankle, slipped off the step and feel down the remainder of the steps, Chandler running frantically behind her, in an attempt to stop the fall. However, Chandler, on his two feet, was unable to overtake his spiraling girlfriend.

Monica reached the bottom of the flight and hit the floor hard. She immediately tried to push herself up, but could barely move. She whimpered in pain and as the world around her started to move and fell out of focus. She closed her eyes and felt blackness take over; unaware that Chandler had reached her in her last moment of consciousness.

Chandler reached the landing seconds after Monica. He winced at her position; her head and shoulders unevenly set on the floor; her right leg propped three steps up, and her left leg at an abnormal position underneath her. Her right arm was splayed up on the first step and her left arm was hanging beside her. Chandler rushed to her side as he heard her whimper softly. He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in close.

"Mon," he whispered. "Are you okay? Mon? Answer me, sweetie. Please, Mon? Please say something. Please." She wasn't responding. Chandler took a deep breath, fighting off panic. He had to stay calm for her, but all sorts of horrible outcomes rushed through his head; broken neck, paralyzed, brain damage, concussion… Every medical drama he had ever watched jumped into his head. He felt his eyes well up and tried to think what to do. His brain told him to call 911, but he was afraid to take his hands away from her face, which was supporting her neck. Something told him not to move her.

Fortunately he didn't have to make a decision about whether to leave her to go call for help. He jumped when he heard her moan and watched her bring her left arm to her head. "Oww…" She moaned, again.

"Mon, are you okay? Tell me what hurts."

Monica took her hand away and gazed up to see Chandler's face just inches from her own. She blinked his anxious face into focus. His eyes were filled with concern. It was then that she realized his hands were on her face. She blinked in confusion and stared up at him for a moment.

"Chandler..?" She whispered softly. "What….what…"

"It's okay, sweetie. You fell down the stairs. Do you remember?"

Monica thought for a moment before the events rushed back to her. She remembered slipping and falling down the stairs, and then passing out. She tried to nod, but was stopped by Chandlers hands. She looked at him questioningly.

He immediately understood what she was thinking. "You shouldn't move your head if you've hurt your neck. Does it hurt?"

Monica closed her eyes and tried to focus on linking the blur of pain into specific areas.

"No, I-I don't think so." She answered Chandler's question.

"What hurts?" he asked concerned.

"My ankle…and head. How long was I out?" Monica's head was beginning to clear. She was thinking straighter.

"Only out for a minute or two. Do you want to sit up?"

Monica nodded slightly. Chandler reached over Monica's figure and gently lifted her right leg down to the floor. He then reached his right arm underneath her, just below the shoulders and helped her to sit up.

Monica cried out as she attempted to use her right arm to push herself off the ground. It collapsed under the weight and the change in pressure created a huge shot of pain from her ankle. She threw her arms around Chandler's neck and buried her head on his shoulder. He gently lifted her onto the first step and proceeded to wrap his arms around her small frame. He held her while she recovered from the sudden burst of pain. Chandler pulled away slightly and gently brushed her tears away.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

She nodded slightly, unable to speak.

"I'm just gonna look at your ankle, okay?" Again, she nodded. Chandler took a step back and knelt down in front of her. He gently pulled her pant leg up and her sock down to reach her shoe and immediately knew her ankle was broken. Her leg above it was rapidly changing color and was already very swollen. The top of her ankle, visible above the shoe, was bent at an unnatural angle. He knew not to take off the shoe, to prevent more swelling so he pulled her sock back up and her pant leg back down. He returned to her side.

"How bad does it look?" Monica asked, immediately reading her answer in his expression.

Chandler offered her a small smile. "Well, I think it's broken."

Monica sighed and leaned against Chandler's shoulder. He responded by wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I…what do I do?" Monica asked softly. In the past, she had always been the one to take whoever was injured or sick to the hospital, or do whatever she could for them. She had never been in this situation before. She didn't like to ask for help; but Chandler knew this. He smiled. After all she had done for him, it was his turn to take care of her.

"You don't have to do anything. I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" He pressed his lips against the top of her head.

Monica simply nodded against his chest.

Chandler pulled his left arm away from her and pushed it underneath her legs, just above the knee. He proceeded to pick her up. Monica pulled her head back and gave him and questioning look.

"What? Do you expect me to make you walk down the rest of the stairs?" He asked sarcastically.

She smiled and rested her head back against him.

Chandler carried Monica down the stairs and flagged down a taxi. Chandler sat on one end of the seat; Monica sitting beside him, her leg straight out in front of her on the seat. Chandler instructed the driver to take them to the hospital and wrapped a supportive arm around Monica. After a few minutes he noticed her shivering slightly, a combination of the temperature and the pain. He gently moved away from her for a moment to pull off his jacket and wrap it around her shoulders.

Monica had just been wishing she had brought her jacket when she felt him pull away from her. She felt a surge of love for the man beside her. He was always thinking of her first. Normally she would have fought this, but she was in too much pain to argue. She simply leaned back against him and whispered thank-you.

She must have fallen asleep, because suddenly Chandler was telling her that they were there. He paid the driver and got out, before gently helping her slide out with as little stress on her injuries as possible. He picked her up again and headed towards the Emergency room doors. There was a selection of wheelchairs left outside for people in their situation. Obviously the hospital thought ahead. He went to pull one out from the wall, but found he couldn't with Monica still in his arms, but he didn't want to put her down.

Richard whistled as he walked out of the doors of the emergency room at the hospital. His girlfriend, Marie, had slipped on some ice and hurt her arm. He had taken her to the hospital, but knew it was going to be a long wait, so he kissed her on the head and told her to call him when she was finished. He would come and pick her up.

As he went through the second set of doors, he noticed a man standing with his back to Richard, a few feet away. He was carrying someone and was having trouble with the wheel chair.

Richard decided to help and approached them.

"Here, let me see if I can be of some assistance," Chandler heard a voice behind him and turned around. He came face to face with the man who was more threatening to Chandler than anyone else in the world.

"R-richard," Chandler stammered. "Hi."

Richard was equally as shocked. Not to see Chandler, but to see Monica in his arms, her arm wrapped around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. He felt a sudden pang of regret.

"Chandler. Monica. Hi." That's all he could get out as the initial shock wore off.

Monica lifted her head up and he saw tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" He asked as he pulled a wheelchair out and held it while Chandler carefully set her down. He noticed that Monica was wearing a jacket that was far too big for her. 'Probably Chandler's' he thought. 'He was always such a good friend to her.'

"She fell down the stairs," Chandler answered as he struggled to adjust the leg rest on the wheelchair. "Some idiot left a tennis ball on the steps." He paused for a moment. "I think she broke her leg." Chandler was nervous around this man. He had always wondered what would happen if Richard showed up again in Monica's life. The thought plagued him on a regular basis. Would she leave him and go back to Richard if she got the chance? Chandler forced his thoughts back to taking care of Monica. He finally got the leg rest in place. With a quick thank-you to Richard for his help he wheeled her into the hospital.

But Richard followed them, interested in having a word with Monica. Chandler didn't notice Richard behind him as he 'parked' the wheel chair beside a row of seats and grabbed the needed forms from the triage nurse. He then sat down beside Monica, put his left arm around her and used his right to begin filling out the forms. It surprised him that he seemed to know all the answers. He asked Monica for verification on a few questions, but she would simply nod her conformation.

As he re-entered the building, Richard noticed Marie watching him. He decided to go to her first, and wait until Chandler left to talk to Monica. He sat down beside Marie, explaining that he would wait with her for a while, and glanced over at Monica and Chandler, on the other side of the room.

What he saw surprised him. Chandler was sitting beside her, his arm around her, filling out the hospital form. He had left Marie to fill out her own. Monica was leaning against Chandler, her eyes closed, her face pale. Every once in a while, Chandler would nudge her and she would glance at the form, nod and close her eyes again. Chandler would then kiss her head and go back to the form.

He watched as Chandler paused, and asked Monica something. Her answer made Chandler smile as he went back to the form.

Chandler came to the last question on the sheet and paused. It asked for her emergency contact. He assumed it was Rachel, but wanted to ask before he wrote anything down.

"Mon, sweetie, who do you want to be your emergency contact?" He asked.

There was no hesitation when she answered. "You," she said softly.

Chandler didn't know what to say. The implications of that one word meant more to him than he could describe. He hurriedly scribbled down his name, address and telephone number on the form and got up to give it to the nurse. She told him to wait until her name was called.

Richard smiled as he watched Chandler hand the form to the nurse. He was sure that Chandler would take off now, and Richard would be free to talk to Monica alone. But he was surprised when he saw Chandler sit back down beside her, in the same position as before. After watching them for about twenty minutes, Chandler's eyes wandered over and met Richard's gaze. Richard offered a smile, which Chandler reciprocated. Richard didn't know why, but he suddenly felt an almost hate-like feeling towards Chandler, which was weird because he had always liked him before. It would be some time before he realized this emotion was jealousy.

Chandler looked up and was surprised to see Richard across the room. Their eyes met and Richard smiled. Chandler smiled as well. He had momentarily forgotten about their run in with Richard. It hadn't occurred to him that Richard was here with someone. He heard Monica whimper softly, in her sleep, and his attention was immediately on her. He hated that she was in pain and there was nothing he could do to help her.

It wasn't long before Monica's name was called. Her injury was pretty severe, which bumped her up the list. The doctor led Chandler, who was pushing Monica, through the double doors and down a hall to a small, whitewashed room. He asked questions about the accident. Monica answered what she could, and Chandler filled in the rest, as Monica's memory of the fall was a little foggy.

"Well," the doctor said at last. "I'm going to order x-rays for your ankle and wrist and I want you to have a CAT scan as well. I'm sure you have a concussion, but I want to rule out any additional damage. Does everything sound okay?"

Monica nodded.

"Thank-you," Chandler said, as they were escorted down the hall to another waiting room and left to wait for the x-rays.

They waited there for some time before a nurse came and wheeled Monica away, telling Chandler that she would be getting her x-rays and CAT scan and that they would bring her back here when she was done. He nodded and sat down to wait. He rested his head in hands and sighed, worried about her. He couldn't stand her being in pain. He picked his head up and glanced at the clock on the wall. He cursed under his breath when he saw the time. They had been gone for a couple of hours and the gang would be worried about them by now. He should have called when they got to the hospital. He had just been so concentrated on her that he hadn't thought of anything else. He knew he had some time if he wanted to make the call now.

He looked up to see Richard enter the room. There was a woman with a makeshift sling walking behind him. Richard's eyes were gazing around as if searching for something. He saw Chandler and made a beeline for him.

"So, Chandler," Richard started, as he sat down beside him, the woman sitting down as well. "How have you been?"

"I've been good," He answered, truthfully. "You?"

"Pretty good."

"Good. I'm Chandler by the way," He said to the women sitting beside Richard.

"Marie," she answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Richard said. "Marie is my girlfriend," he said to Chandler and then to Marie. "Chandler is an old friend of mine."

Chandler laughed inwardly. He wouldn't exactly call Richard a friend.

"So, Chandler, are you seeing anyone?" It was then that Chandler realized that Richard didn't know about him and Monica. Well it was now or never.

"I am actually…"

He was cut off when the nurse came to take Marie in for x-rays. Chandler was actually relieved that he hadn't had to tell Richard, as Richard seemed to forget the question as soon as Marie was gone, however he focused his attention on another topic Chandler wasn't very comfortable talking about.

"Is Monica okay? What happened exactly?"

Chandler proceeded to explain what had happened. It concerned him that Richard was so interested in Monica. It concerned him even more when the questions changed from Monica's condition to her life. Richard asked questions about her job and her friends and her parents. The questions kept coming and when Chandler was absolutely sure that the next question was going to be is she seeing anyone he jumped up.

"Um, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and make some phone calls. If Monica gets back before me, can you tell her where I am?"

"Sure," Richard said.

Chandler left the room as quickly as he could without looking like an idiot and entered the first bathroom he found.

As soon as Chandler left the room, Monica was wheeled back in.

She was surprised to see Richard waiting, she had forgotten he was here.

"Hey," she said quietly, glancing around for Chandler.

"Chandler said to tell you he was going to the bathroom and making a call. He'll be back soon."

"Thanks," Monica said, not overly comfortable being alone with her ex boyfriend, especially when her new, not-so-confident boyfriend could walk in on them at any time. She knew the odds of him misreading the situation were pretty good and she didn't want to hurt him. She loved him so much and knew he loved her back, but also knew he could be unsure of the strength of her feelings towards him.

"How are you feeling?" Richard asked.

"Better. They finally gave me a pain killer."

"Good, I'm glad you're not in as much pain." Richard smiled warmly at her and looked as if he wanted to say more. He looked away for a moment before meeting her eyes again and opened his mouth to speak.

Chandler exited the bathroom and found a pay phone. He dug through his pocket to find a quarter and typed in Ross's number. After a few rings Ross picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ross, it's Chandler."

"Hey Chandler. What's up?"

"Uh, I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the hospital…"

"Oh my God," Ross cut in. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…"

"Then who's hurt?" Ross cut in again.

"Well, Monica kinda..."

"Monica? Monica's hurt? What's wrong with my sister?"

"Ross! Would you let me talk? Monica fell down the stairs this morning. I think she broke her ankle."

"Is she okay?"

"You mean other than her ankle being broken?" Chandler said sarcastically.

"You know what I mean. Is she okay?"

"She will be. The doctor said she has a concussion, and right now she's getting some x-rays done."

"Should I come down there?"

"No, that's okay. I just wanted to let you know. We should be done soon anyway."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know."

"Your welcome. We'll see you soon."

"Bye, Chandler"

Chandler hung up the phone and returned to the waiting room. He paused at the corner of the wall when he heard Monica and Richard talking. He knew he should make his presence known, but couldn't fight off his curiosity, so he decided to listen.

"Monica, I have something to say and it's going to be hard to do, so I would appreciate it if you would just stay silent until I'm finished."

"Okay…" Monica said, a little unsurely. She wished for Chandler to get back soon.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I decided that I was stupid to let you go. I love you Monica. I never stopped. I've missed you so much. I want to be with you. I want to marry you and have kids with you and spend the rest of my life with you. I'm sorry for hurting you in the past, and not wanting what you wanted, but I'm here now and I'm ready to be what you want now."

Monica was stunned.

Chandler felt his heart stop when he heard Richard's little speech. It was like his worst nightmare come true. All of his confidence in his and Monica's relationship disappeared as he felt his heart begin to break. This was it. He was going to lose her. She was going to leave him and go back to Richard. She-

His thoughts were cut short by what he heard Monica say.

A/N: So, how do you like it so far? It's most likely going to be only one more chapter, which will be up soon. I would write it now, but it's 2:30 AM and I need to go to bed before my mom realizes I'm still up. Anyway I was watching some old episodes today and I have a quote for you all. Try to guess/remember who said it and when it was said.

"Get ready to come out of the non-gay closet."


	2. Rachel's notsostupid question

**_CHAPTER#2 _**

"Wow," Monica said, unsure of how to say what she had to say. "I don't really know what to tell you, Richard."

"Just say yes," Richard told her, very sure of himself.

It may have been the pain talking, but it pissed Monica off a bit that Richard was so sure she would say yes. "Richard," Monica began. "I'm sure that if you had told me all of this a year ago I would have said yes, but…" She was cut off.

"No buts," Richard said.

"…But," Monica continued, ignoring Richard. "I have moved on. I loved you once, but I don't anymore. I'm happy in my life right now. Can we just leave it there?" She asked gently, hoping he would drop the subject.

"No, we cannot leave it there," Richard said, stubbornly. "I need you, Mon. I want you and I love you. Why can't we be together?"

"Richard," Monica started, now much more firm. "It's not going to happen, okay."

"You're seeing someone else, aren't you," Richard accused.

"I am," Monica answered, choosing to ignore the manner in which he asked the question. He had no right to accuse her of anything.

"I'm willing to wait, if you need time to you know, break it off," Richard told her.

"You'd be waiting a really long time." Monica answered simply, thinking Richard should be glad the painkillers were kicking in and making her tired, or else she would be really mad at him by now.

"That's okay. Take as much time as you need." Richard didn't understand what she was trying to tell him.

"No, I mean it would be useless to wait. I don't see us breaking up any time soon, or ever." She said the last bit quieter, but he heard it anyway.

"You really love this guy?"

"I do."

"More than you loved me?"

Monica wasn't sure how to answer this question without hurting his feelings, so she simply nodded.

"You're lying," Richard stated.

"Excuse me?" Monica asked, an edge to her voice. Those painkillers were about to be overtaken.

"You're lying," Richard told her. "How could you love anyone more than me?"

Richard touched a nerve in Monica and she felt her temper boil. All thoughts of not hurting his feelings were now forgotten. "You have no right to say that." Richard tried to cut in, but she didn't allow him. "I loved you once, Richard. Lov**ed**. At the time I thought it was the most I could love anyone, but I was wrong. You have no idea how much I love him," she paused for a moment to keep her emotions in check. She took a deep breath as she glanced at Richard, who wasn't talking. "It's like I love him on a whole nother level than I ever loved you, than I ever could love you. I'm sorry Richard, but you're too late. There's no way I could go back to you now and think it would ever be enough." Monica felt her heart swell at the truth of her words.

Richard finally spoke up. He was angry now, reacting to Monica's temper. "If you're so in love with this guy, then where is he? Why isn't he here?"

Monica was momentarily taken aback before answering. She felt all of the anger drain out of her. She offered him a small smile. "He is here," she said simply.

Richard didn't know what to say. He was confused. Just as he looked up, he eyed Chandler re-entering the room, and had a sudden realization.

Chandler heard the conversation between Richard and Monica begin to get out of control and decided to enter the room. As he walked around the corner, Richard caught his eye and started at him, an expression of shock on his face. It gave Chandler confidence that Richard was jealous of him, but he didn't let it show on his face. He chose to pretend he hadn't heard the conversation.

"Hey Mon," Chandler said as he cautiously approached Monica, who was shooting daggers at Richard. Richard was still staring back and forth between Monica and Chandler, in shock. "Did everything go okay with the x-rays?" Chandler placed his hand on Monica's shoulder and squeezed gently, trying to get her attention.

Monica seemed to come out of her trance, and smiled up at Chandler. "Everything went fine," she told him, softly.

"Where to now?" Chandler asked.

"Uh, back to the room, the doctor will meet us there with the results."

Chandler nodded. He looked over at Richard, who seemed to have recovered from his shock and seemed to be weighing his options. He didn't seem to know what to do, or say. Chandler chose to use this time to leave.

"It's nice to see you again Richard," he said as he wheeled Monica around and headed back towards her hospital room.

"You too," Richard answer, quietly. He had lost her, and to Chandler. That had been a surprise to him. A big surprise. He wondered what he had done wrong as he got up and headed towards the door, leaving Marie to call him when she was done.

"You okay?" Chandler asked as the couple arrived back at her room to wait for the doctor.

"Yeah," Monica answered. She looked up at Chandler's concerned face and smiled, reaching her good arm up. Chandler immediately leaned down and pulled her into a hug. He contemplated telling her for a few seconds before making his decision.

"Mon," he started. "I just want you to know that I, uh, I heard what you said to Richard."

Monica looked at him in surprise. "Oh, Chandler, I…"

She was cut off when the doctor came hurriedly through the door.

"Hello again, Monica. I have the results back." He stood beside her and pulled out the CAT scan of her head.

"The good news is that there don't seem to be any abnormalities in your brain. I'm sure you are suffering from a mild concussion. Make sure to get someone to wake you up every two to three hours tonight." The doctor turned his attention to Chandler, assuming he would be the one to wake her up. "Ask her simple questions, pertaining to name, date, age, that sort of thing. If she can't answer them, or you have trouble waking her up, make sure to get her to a hospital." Chandler nodded.

The doctor turned his attention back to Monica. "You seem to have broken a small bone in your wrist. It's a clean break, and should be healed in six to eight weeks." He paused. "Now, your ankle is a little worse off than your wrist." The doctor proceeded to explain that Monica had broken a few bones, in a few places, in her ankle. She would need to keep off of it for some time. The doctor casted both her arm and leg and sent her home with crutches and a small fold up wheelchair. The doctor suggested she not use the crutches for the first week or so, it an attempt to keep her weight off of her injured arm.

An hour later Chandler wheeled Monica into the lobby of their building. It was then that he realized there was no elevator in the building. He stopped the wheelchair and paused for a moment before making his decision. He stepped around the side of the chair and picked Monica up, gently. He carried her up the five floors to her apartment, while she held her crutches.

Upon reaching her door, Chandler paused again. He had no hands free to open it; one arm was under Monica's legs and the other supporting her back. Monica had her broken arm resting up against Chandler's chest and the other hand was doing a good job holding both crutches.

"Huh," Chandler said. "How do we open the door?"

"I don't know." Monica answered and giggled slightly.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that this is kinda funny if you think about it. I mean we made it all the way back from the hospital in one piece; the cab driver managed to avoid like three accidents, you didn't crash me into anything with the wheelchair and you made it all the way up five flights of stairs carrying me without collapsing. And now here we are, standing outside the door, which I'm willing to bet is unlocked and yet we can't get in."

Chandler started to laugh as well and leaned his head against hers. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second, just glad to be with her. When his arms started to hurt he sighed again and did the only thing he could think of.

Chandler stepped forward and kicked the door a few times, hoping someone was home.

Rachel sighed for the umpteenth time that hour and glanced at her watch. Only a few short minutes had gone by since the last time she had looked. Rachel had woken up that morning to find the living room empty. Assuming Monica was sleeping in, Rachel had tried to be quiet as she went about her morning routine. However, when she hadn't heard anything from her roommate all day, she had opened her door to find Monica's room empty. With her concern growing, she had called Phoebe over and the two of them had stayed in the apartment all day waiting for a phone call or for Monica to show up. It wasn't like her not to check in.

At hearing a loud banging on the door, Rachel leapt up and raced over to the door, swinging it open. Nothing could have prepared her for what she found on the other side of the door. Chandler was standing in the hallway, Monica in his arms. Monica's face was pale and she was holding a pair of crutches with her left arm. Her right arm and left leg were in casts. She looked tired and pained.

"Oh my God, Monica!" She exclaimed. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Phoebe rushed over to see Monica as well and her response was very similar to Rachel's. The two of them swooned around Monica, demanding to know if she was okay. How she was feeling. What had happened? This lasted until Chandler finally spoke up.

"Hello to you to, Rach, Pheebs. So nice of you to say hi to me. Oh, I'm fine and my arms aren't the least bit tired, but thanks for asking." Chandler finished sarcastically. This made Monica laugh slightly.

"Guys I'm okay. Just back off for a second."

"Hey rach," Chandler started. "Do me a favor and go down to the lobby. There's a small, fold up wheelchair at the bottom of the stairs. Can you go down and grab it for me?"

"Why me?" Rachel whined.

Chandler just gave her a look and motioned towards Monica, who was still in his arms. Rachel huffed and headed out the door.

Chandler rolled his eyes and proceeded to carefully set Monica down on the chair, helping her prop her leg up on the footstool. He immediately plopped himself down on the floor beside her, for once not caring about their closeness in front of their friends. Rachel arrived back with the wheelchair, ditched it beside the door and sat herself down on the couch next to Phoebe, her attention turning to Monica and Chandler.

Monica and Chandler proceeded to explain what had happened. Ross arrived soon after and Rachel and Phoebe yelled at him for not passing on the news about Monica's accident. They hung out together for the rest of the day, not going anywhere because they didn't want to move Monica. Ross went out and rented movies, and Rachel ordered pizza, and even though he wasn't there, they ordered a Joey special. Chandler didn't leave Monica's side, which didn't go unnoticed, although no one said anything, most assuming he was simply concerned, especially after having witnessed the fall.

At some point Ross announced he was tired and was going home. He gave his sister a hug. "I'm glad you're okay, sis."

"Thanks, Ross," Monica said, doing her best to return the hug.

"I'm sorry, again, for not calling you," Ross offered to the Rachel and Phoebe who were still glaring at him. They hadn't even allowed him to sit on the couch with them and he was forced to spend the evening on the floor opposite Chandler. He made a move as if to hug them to, but thought better of it. He turned his attention to Chandler. "Thanks for getting her to the hospital today," he patted Chandler on the shoulder.

"Not a problem, man," Chandler answered.

"Bye," Ross let himself out the door.

It wasn't long before the others began to feel tired as well. The girls had Chandler carry Monica into her room. Chandler volunteered to stay with her for the night, and wake her up every couple hours, but was out-voted. Rachel and Phoebe decided they were going to take care of Monica and would not even consider having Chandler stay instead. They felt guilty that he had spent the day in the hospital with her, and they had not.

Chandler carried Monica into her room and set her down on her bed, gently. He sat down beside her, but before he could say anything Rachel and Phoebe came in behind him. He sighed and offered them a smile.

"Okay, Chandler. It's time to go," Phoebe said, not being at all discreet, which was her way.

"What's your hurry?" Chandler asked jokingly. "Have you guys got some big plans tonight, or something?" He raised his eyebrow and put on a wry smile.

Phoebe laughed at Chandler's joke. "Well if you count interrupting Monica's beauty sleep every couple hours, then yeah, we've got big plans."

They both laughed. "You know she's gonna kill you for waking her up, right?" Chandler told her.

Phoebe seemed to think about this for a few seconds. "Then I'll make Rachel do it."

"Hey!" Rachel responded. "That is SO not fair. Why do I have to wake her up? I know how much she hates people waking her up in the middle of the night. This one time, I had this guy over and we were being really loud and you shoulda seen the look she gave me in the morning. It was like pure murderous hatred."

"It was not," Monica argued from her position on the bed.

"Are you guys sure you don't want me to do this?" Chandler asked. "I really don't mind."

"Give it up already, Chandler." Phoebe told him. "This is a job for Rachel and I. We got it covered."

"Okay," Chandler relented. "But, make sure you don't leave it any longer than three hours, actually make sure you wake her every two hours. I mean why take the risk? And if anything goes wrong, come and get me."

"Chandler! Stop worrying. She'll be fine." Rachel told him, mentally recording how over protective he was being.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Phoebe repeated. "Now get out because we have to help Monica into her pajamas now. And I know she doesn't want you to see that." Phoebe said, oblivious to the fact that Chandler was using all of his might to hold back a smile and Monica was blushing. Rachel, however noticed this, and filed it in her memory bank, along with Chandler's behavior this evening. She shook her head, trying to clear it of all these recent stupid ideas she had been getting about Monica and Chandler. She kept telling herself there was nothing going on, her mind was just jumping to conclusions.

Chandler sighed, admitting defeat. He turned around on the bed and pulled Monica into a hug, holding her as long as he could, while still making it seem like a friendly hug. He pulled away; making eye contact with her, telling her he loved her, without ever say a word. From the expression in her eyes, he knew she understood. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Night, Mon." He said simply and walked out of the room, and into his apartment. There was a message on the machine from Joey, telling him that he had arrived safely and to tell the gang 'Hey.' Chandler smiled slightly; glad he had a friend like Joey. He then brushed his teeth, stripped down to his boxers and plopped himself into bed. He lay awake for hours stressing over whether or not Monica was okay and on all of the other possible outcomes that could have happened that day. _Monica could have been seriously hurt. She could have broken her neck. He could have lost her to Richard. She could still get complications from her concussion._ He sighed knowing he would most likely dream many of these scenarios tonight and in the many nights to come. He knew he would not get a good night sleep again until Monica was back beside him, wrapped in his arms. Only then would he begin to realize that she was okay. That he hadn't lost her.

Chandler slept restlessly for most of the night. Somewhere around 4 o' clock in the morning he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. He slept like this for many hours before waking up, later than he had planned.

"Mon, wake up," Monica groaned when she heard Rachel's groggy voice filter through her sleep deprived mind. It seemed to Monica that every time she fell asleep, they woke her up. "What's your name?" Rachel asked. She and Phoebe had decided to alternate waking Monica up. Rachel heard Monica's reply and asked her how old she was. Rachel glanced at the clock. It was just after 4. Monica answered the question, without thinking. She answers everything so easily when she's half asleep, Rachel thought. This gave her an idea.

"Mon, are you seeing anyone right now?"

"uhhhh," came Monica's reply.

"Answer the question," Rachel demanded.

"Yeah," Monica stuttered, trying to fall back to sleep.

"Really," Rachel said. "And who, may I ask, are you seeing?"

"Not telling," Monica grumbled.

"Why not?" Rachel asked in her sweetest, best-friend voice.

"'Cause," Monica answered, groggily. "…too soon…not ready…"

"But-" Rachel started, but it was useless, Monica had already fallen back to sleep.

Rachel sighed and blinked tiredly. She left Monica's room and collapsed on the couch. Phoebe, who was curled up on the chair, didn't even stir.

It was only a few hours later, somewhere around 8 AM that Rachel and Phoebe, supporting Monica between them, struggled out of Monica's bedroom. The three of them were laughing hysterically. After getting almost no sleep the night before they were all slightly high on lack of sleep. It had been very humorous to struggle to get Monica up and dressed and then out to the living room, without letting her stand on her own, or walk. The three girls collapsed on the couch, still laughing.

After calming down, Phoebe jumped up and made coffee for the three of them, while Rachel set Monica up on the chair, her injured leg resting on a pillow on the table in front of her. Phoebe handed Rachel and Monica their coffee and she plunked herself down beside Rachel on the couch. The three of them spent the next hour talking about life and laughing at past memories.

"This is nice," Monica suddenly stated.

"What?" Rachel and Phoebe asked at the same time, before breaking out laughing. Monica soon joined in.

When they had recovered, Monica answered the question. "Just spending time together, y'know, just the girls? We haven't done this in a while."

Phoebe and Rachel nodded in agreement. "You're right," Rachel said.

"You know what? We should do something together soon," Phoebe said. "Like see a movie, or go shopping, or OH I KNOW I KNOW! We should go for a hike in Tortall Forest. OH YES." Phoebe was getting very excited.

"Um, Pheebs," Monica started, gently.

"What?" Phoebe asked, oblivious.

Monica motioned towards her casted leg. Phoebe's expression didn't change. Monica decided to be more obvious. She glanced down at her leg and back up at Phoebe. Still no change. Monica made a big gesture of looking down at her leg and then back to Phoebe.

"Oh right, your leg. Well I guess the hike's out of the question." Phoebe seemed disappointed.

Monica felt bad for her. "Don't worry Pheebs. As soon as my leg is healed, I promise I will go for a hike with you."

"Yah!" Phoebe exclaimed. She promptly jumped up and gave Monica a big hug. Before Phoebe pulled away, Rachel and Monica exchanged looks. Monica rolled her eyes and laughed, as did Rachel.

Phoebe sat back down and everyone was silent for a few minutes.

"Okay, Mon, I have to ask," Rachel started, unsure. She knew she was probably going to get laughed at, but she couldn't help it anymore. She had to say something.

"What?" Monica asked, cautiously, reacting to Rachel's unsure expression.

"Uh, I, uh, well…Are you and...no.. is something going o… I …" Rachel trailed off.

"Just spit it out, Rach," Monica demanded, gently, wondering what it was that Rachel found so hard to ask, but never expecting the question.

"Okay. This is going to sound stupid, but I have to ask. Uh, are …is there something going on…" Rachel wasn't sure how to ask what she knew she had to ask. She felt stupid for even thinking about it, but it had been bugging her for the past couple days, and she needed a yes or no answer. "Is there something going on between you and Chandler?" Rachel asked in a hurry. She immediately felt stupid. "Oh my God, I'm such an idiot. Monica, pretend I didn't say that. I didn't get much sleep last night. I don't know why I asked that. It was stupid. Of course there's nothing going on between you and Chandler." Rachel rushed through her last couple sentences, trying desperately to cover for what she had just said. Beside her, Phoebe was in hysterics. Rachel felt like an idiot, that is, until she caught Monica's eye. The expression on her face could only be described as deer-in-headlights.

Rachel stopped rambling; her thoughts of feeling stupid for asking the question disappeared. She stared at Monica in shock, unbelieving that she was right and trying to focus on what this all meant. Phoebe, after realizing no one else was laughing, followed Rachel's example, her realization hitting a little later. Monica stared back at Rachel, realizing they had been caught, but having no idea what to do or say. No one said anything for a good minute.

They were pulled out of their trance at the sound of the front door opening.

It was Chandler.

Phoebe and Rachel both stared in shock back and forth between Monica and Chandler.

Chandler stood in the doorway, both confused and afraid to go any closer to them. "Okay guys," he said. "What's going on?"

Still, no one said anything. Rachel and Phoebe were speechless. Monica had recovered from the shock of Rachel's question, and was chewing on her bottom lip, trying to decide on the best way to handle the situation.

Chandler cautiously approached the girls, hands held out in front of him, as if he were frightened, which he was. He stood on Monica's right, facing Phoebe and Rachel, on the couch. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it, not knowing what to say. He hesitated. "So," he said casually, "what's going on?"

Phoebe finally managed to snap out of it, her attention now focused on Chandler. "Y-you and Monica!" She exclaimed.

Chandler visibly jumped. He immediately began to open and close his mouth in shock and he paled slightly. He moved back a step and frantically began to think of a way to get out of this, a way to not deal with the situation. He could pretend to hear the door, or pretend to pass out. The best sounding option to Chandler was simply to run. He almost did so, but he happened to glance to his side and met Monica's eyes looking up at him. She had an apprehensive expression on her face, but offered him a small smile. She seemed to be very concerned as to how he would react.

Just seeing the look on Monica's face was enough for Chandler to calm himself down. His facial expression changed dramatically. He took a deep breath and stepped around to the other side of Monica. After a moment's hesitation, Chandler sat down on the armrest of the chair, placing his right arm around Monica's shoulders, holding her left hand in his. He looked directly at Rachel and Phoebe.

"Yeah," he said smiling. "Me and Monica."

Monica was surprised at what Chandler did. At first she had thought he was going to take off, but as she watched, he seemed to come to a realization. He sat down beside her and told Rachel and Phoebe the truth. Monica smiled. She was glad he had been able to calm himself down, as she didn't think she could handle telling them alone. Monica smiled and leaned up against Chandler.

"Wow," Rachel said quietly. "I can't believe I was actually right about that. I felt stupid just thinking about it."

"Wow," Phoebe said. She then rushed over to the couple and pulled them both into a big hug. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Rachel followed suit and joined in the hug.

They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They looked up to see Ross standing but a few feet away from them. Phoebe and Rachel pulled back.

"Ross, I think Monica and Chandler have something to tell you," Phoebe said smiling.

Chandler rolled his eyes. They would have to teach Phoebe about tact one day soon.

"What do they have to tell me Pheebs?" Ross asked. Then he continued talking to Phoebe, but was looking at Monica and Chandler while he said, "That they're together?"

This stunned everyone.

"How did you know?" Chandler asked.

"You guys were so obvious," he stated simply. Then to everyone's blank looks, "just the ways you guys have been acting around each other lately, plus, Mon, don't forget that I live across from you. I've seen you and Chandler jump away from each other when someone walked in many times."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Monica asked.

"I knew you would tell us when you were ready."

"How long have you known?"

"About two months." Ross sat down beside Phoebe on the couch. "You really don't expect me to notice my best friend dating my sister, do you?" Ross said, confidently, as if he was gloating. "There's no chance you two could be together and have me not know about it."

"Really," Monica asked, catching on to Ross' cockiness. "Okay dear, smart, perfect, brother, who always knows everything. If you know so much about us, may I ask how long Chandler and I have been together?"

Ross gave her a look, saying he knew and he was going to make sure everyone around them knew that he knew and also knew that he had figured it out. He was a better friend because no one else had figured it out and he had. "Well, Monica you and Chandler have been together for somewhere between 2 and 3 months." He gave her a cocky smile. "And I know this because I realized two months ago and it must have been going on quietly for a couple of weeks, but not any longer."

Monica laughed. "Hate to tell you you're wrong, but… wait a minute, I love to tell you you're wrong. Anyway, you're wrong."

Ross was speechless. It wasn't everyday that he allowed his baby sister to get the better of him.

"Then how long," Rachel asked.

"More than 3 months." Monica stated, matter of fact.

"How have you two possibly have been together for more than three months without any of us finding out?" Phoebe asked, incredulous.

Monica and Chandler looked at each other. "Carefully," Chandler finally said.

Monica nodded. "Very carefully."

"So, really, how long?" Rachel pushed.

Monica glanced at Chandler, motioning for him to go ahead.

"London." He stated, almost shyly.

"London!" Everyone exclaimed.

"No way," Rachel said. "That was like…"

"Eight months ago." Chandler added, with a smile. He pulled Monica in closer to him as he laughed at the shocked look on their friends' faces. He sighed happily; it was going to be a long day.


	3. new confidence

**_CHAPTER#3_**

"So," Rachel began.

"So, what?" Monica asked, acting as if she didn't know what Rachel was getting at.

"Mon, you're not fooling anyone, now spill," Phoebe demanded. Rachel and Phoebe had just managed to get rid of Ross and Chandler so they could talk about Chandler with Monica.

Monica sighed and rolled her eyes; her friends would never change. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything!" Phoebe yelled.

Rachel gave her an odd look. "Who started it?"

"Neither of us really, it just sorta happened."

"Who initiated the first kiss?"

"Uh," Monica started, not sure what to say. "I don't really know."

"How do you not know?"

"Well, I, uh, I don't really remember."

"What!"

"Well, we were kinda, sorta, you know, drunk?"

"Let me get this straight," Phoebe said. "You and Chandler got drunk in London and kissed, and now, eight months later, you're still together?"

"Uh, sure!" Monica said a little too loudly.

Rachel got a look of realization on her face. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Did you guys do more than just kiss?"

"Maybe," Monica said, a sly smile on her face.

"Tell!" Phoebe demanded.

Monica sighed. She knew she would be forced to tell them eventually. It might as well be now.

"Well, we both got really drunk and kinda woke up together the next day." She didn't tell them that she remembered quite a bit about that night. She didn't tell them that it had been one of the best nights of her life, that she had felt something she had never felt before, that she had known right then and there that she would spend the rest of her life with this man. She smiled. It would remain her little secret, well her and Chandler's secret.

"No." Rachel said. "No way."

"Way." Monica said.

"Ross?" Chandler said hesitantly. He and Ross were sitting in his apartment, drinking a beer. The girls had practically thrown them out.

"What?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No," Ross said confused. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because," Chandler said. "I'm dating your sister."

"Why would that make me mad?"

"Because, dude, there's rules about this kind of stuff. You're not supposed to date your friend's sister."

"Well, I know you Chandler. I know you would never hurt her." Ross smiled warmly at Chandler.

"Thanks, man."

"You know, in all the years I've known Monica, which is a long time, I have never seen as happy as she has been lately. And I know that has something to do with you."

"So Chandler has been in a relationship for eight months?" Rachel asked.

Monica nodded.

"That has got to be some sorta world record or something."

"Yeah," said Phoebe. "I mean its Chandler! How do you stand him, Mon?"

"Hey!" Monica said. "That's not fair. He's not that bad." Monica defended Chandler.

"You know I have to agree with Phoebe," Rachel told her. "I mean, it's Chandler."

"So?"

"So, he's just so anti-committal and immature and sarcastic."

"So?" Monica repeated.

"Well, you're just so pro-commitment and mature and, well, not sarcastic."

Monica sighed. How could she explain to her friends how she felt about Chandler? "You guys just don't know him like I do. He's just, well, he's not; he's not as bad as he seems. He's really sweet, and caring, and it's not that he doesn't want commitment. He's just scared."

"Some-bod-y's in love," Phoebe chanted.

Monica smiled and blushed.

"Are you?" Rachel asked.

Monica nodded shyly.

"Really?" Rachel asked. "Oh honey, that's so great. I'm sorry I wasn't being supportive. I'm really happy for you." Rachel promptly jumped up and gave Monica a big hug, as did Phoebe.

"Have you told him you love him?" Phoebe asked.

"I have."

"Has he said it back?"

Monica nodded, "actually, he said it first."

"Wow Chandler Bing in love," Rachel mused. "It would take someone very special to him for that to happen." She smiled at Monica.

"So," Phoebe said. "What's he like in bed?"

Monica groaned and rolled her eyes. It was definitely going to be a long afternoon.

Monica was relieved when Chandler and Ross finally walked back in the door a couple hours later. Rachel and Phoebe had been driving her crazy with their questions. Any other day she would have been able to get away, but she couldn't get at her crutches or her wheel chair.

Chandler smiled at Monica as he entered, Ross in tow. Ross sat down on the edge of the couch, while Chandler plunked himself down beside Monica on the chair.

"Thank-god you're here," Monica told him as she put her hand in his. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "They're driving me crazy."

An hour later Ross declared he was leaving because he had a date. This reminded Rachel that she also had a date. Ross left to go to his apartment, while Rachel went to have a shower. It wasn't long before Rachel left for her date and Phoebe took off, as she hadn't been home in almost two days, thus leaving Monica and Chandler alone.

Chandler sighed happily as he heard the door close, and he wrapped his arms around Monica's small figure, pulling her in close.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear, making her shiver.

"I love you, to." Monica whispered back. She pulled away slightly, looking into his deep blue eyes. He took this as a sign and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was short, but full of emotion. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, just glad to be spending time with her. His mind was still resting on the possible outcomes of her fall the day before.

"Uh, Chandler, I just want you to know, about what happened with Richard yesterday-"

He cut in. "Thank-you," he said simply.

"What?" Monica asked confused.

Chandler hesitated. "For choosing me."

Monica looked at him in shock. She saw the look on his face, the way he seemed so unsure of himself, the way his eyes nervously held contact with hers; as if he were afraid of what she was going to say. She felt her heart in her throat as she reached her good hand up to cup the side of his face. He immediately placed his hand on hers.

"Chandler, I don't want you to think, even for a second, that I would EVER choose ANYONE over you. I love you, Chandler. When Richard said those things to me yesterday I didn't even have to think about my decision; it wasn't even an option. I love everything about you, Chandler, and I want to be with you. No one else. I mean that."

She watched as Chandler's eyes seemed to well up and he turned his head away, as if trying to hide his emotions. Using the hand that was still resting on the side of his face, she gently guided his face back to face her. She met his eyes and held his gaze. "It's okay sweetie, you're allowed to show some emotion." She hesitated before continuing. "I know that you're scared, Chandler, but I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Monica pulled him down, into the chair beside her. She wrapped her arms, being careful of the broken one, around his neck. He quickly wrapped his arms around her tightly, as if holding on for dear life. She didn't know how long they stayed like this, but she didn't care. She loved being with Chandler; loved the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, of being with someone who could make her feel things so deeply. She hated how unsure of himself he always was. She wished she could convince him of her feelings. She wished she would take all his self-doubt away. He was always so timid and cautious. He was slowly gaining confidence, but he still had a long way to go.

Monica was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt Chandler tilt his head and kiss her softly on her neck. She sighed as he pulled back slightly. He offered her a brave smile, the light reflecting more than usually in his bright blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly.

"For what?"

"For always being such a pain. I know I'm not the best boyfriend. I mean, I always freak out and get scared. I'm so, I don't know, pathetic. Ugh, I hate myself."

"Stop," Monica told him. "You don't ALWAYS freak out, and you're not pathetic. Not at all. And Chandler, know this, you are the BEST boyfriend ever, okay? You're sweet, and gentle, and loving. I know I can trust you, and I know you would never hurt me. That's what counts, okay? Not that you get scared. That doesn't change how I feel about you, not at all." Monica smiled at him before continuing. "I want to tell you something, okay?"

"What?"

"You're not the only one who gets scared."

"I'm sorry?"

"I get scared to. The way I feel about you Chandler, I've never felt this way before, and it scares me at times. I just thought you should know."

He smiled, not knowing what to say.

"So," he finally said. "What do you want to do with the remainder of the day?"

"Well," Monica started. "I haven't had a shower in two days now, and with these casts I just may need some help." She raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Really?" Chandler said, playing along, "what kinda help."

Monica smiled. "Come on, help me into the bathroom." She said.

Chandler carefully picked Monica up, holding her tightly in his arms. He felt more confident about his relationship with this amazing woman than he ever had before. He had a new sense of calm about him. He had this sudden realization that they were going to be okay, he and Monica. They were in going to last. He smiled. For the first time in his life he felt truly at peace.

_**A/N: Well, that's it. It went on a lot longer than I had originally planned. I hope everyone liked it. If you choose to review, may I ask if you would tell me whether or not I have captured the right persona of each character? I know some of it was exaggerated, but I needed to make it fit. Anyway, thanks for reading. Oh, and here's another quote for you:**_

"**_How you got three women to marry you, I'll never know."_**


End file.
